Like Never Before
by HeartBeatsFade
Summary: After years of being apart, two friends come together to reconcile and try to gain back what they once had. But will they rekindle an old flame or has that ship already sailed?
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fic ever so please give me some credit. Rated M for a reason. Reviews are always appreciated.

_*Disclaimer*_ Obviously, I do not own Glee or any of the characters. (I wish!)

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><p>She was literally jumping in her seat. She was gonna see him again. It's been 7 years since they've last seen other. She remembers it so clearly.<p>

_They were both wandering around the park aimlessly, trying to stretch out her last day knowing that she was leaving in the morning. His left arm was thrown over her shoulders. Her right arm was wrapped around the small of his back while her left hand was holding his right one. To any bystanders you would think they were a couple, but they weren't. They were best friends and this was a natural thing for them. It was the summer before high school and she had just broken the news that she was moving to New York in a week._

_"Do you really have to leave?" He asked already knowing the answer to the question. "It's not like I have a choice Finn. I'm sure it's for the best." She was frowning. This was not how she planned to spend her summer, moping around about leaving her best friend. "You don't really believe that, do you?" He always knew how she really felt. "Uh... maybe?" She answered it as a question because she wasn't so sure. He pulled away quickly and confusion quickly spread over her face as she stared at him._

_"Rachel, you can't leave! How am I supposed to get through high school without you?" He was basically yelling her at this point. She wasn't mad though. She knew he wasn't doing it on purpose, he was just hurt. "Finn-" before she could say what she could reply though, he grabbed her face in his hands and pressed his lips against hers. After a while, she reciprocated as their lips started dancing together. She quickly realized what was happening and pushed him away. She arched an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. "I...I...", he rapidly searched through his brain for an excuse as to why he just kissed his best _friend_. "I didn't want my first kiss to be with a stranger." She nodded and they returned to their previous position. He internally sighed, grateful that she didn't need a further explanation._

_After more mindless walking, she turned to him with a huge grin on her face. He looked at her confused, how could she possibly be smiling at a time like this. "Let's make a deal. Well, more like a pact. In 7 years, we'll meet up in a cafe somewhere in NY." She watched as the smile spread across his face, which was quickly replaced by confusion. "Wait, why 7 years? Why not an even number?" She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Because we were 7 years old when we first met. So it should be like our lucky number." She said the smile spreading across her face. He pulled her into a tight hug. She breathed in his scent trying to remember it. At the same time, he breathed in her scent to remember her. This was the hardest he'd ever have to do. "Deal." He said so quietly she wasn't sure if she'd heard it. _

She was taking deep breaths to try to stop herself from hyperventilating when she felt someone tap her shoulder...

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><p>Let me know how it was guys. It's ok, I can take criticism :)<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to the people that reviewed. I actually like where this is going so I'm going to continue :)

I'm glad to see people took it to their liking. This one is longer, so I hope you like it :)

_*Disclaimer*_ I do not own Glee or any of the characters.

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><p>She was taking deep breaths to try to stop herself from hyperventilating when she felt someone tap her shoulder...<p>

She turned around, startled, and her breath caught in her throat. It wasn't until he cleared his throat that she realized she was staring. She shook her head, pulling her out of her reverie. She smiled, afraid her voice might crack and give her away. He was even more handsome than before, if that were possible. He smirked and her heart stopped in her chest. It was _her _smirk. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and he pulled her into his embrace. Her body liquefied as she melted into his arms. It was basically speaking for itself. She inhaled deeply and took in his scent. It was his smell. It hadn't changed a bit. He did the same thing and almost lost it right there. She wasn't sure how long they stood there and she couldn't care less. It was as if the whole world stopped spinning. It wouldn't have mattered anyway; she was in his arms again.

After a while of just holding each other, Finn pulled away reluctantly and moved to sit down. He never left her gaze as she sat down across from him. But that was just it. They just sat down. No one said a word. It was just a whole lot of staring. It wouldn't have been so awkward until the waitress cleared her throat. They were both pulled out of their trance and she quickly turned to the waitress with a confused look on her face. "Would you like another cup of coffee?" She asked, noticeably annoyed. Rachel nodded and turned to Finn just as the waitress did. "How 'bout you, honey?" She asked Finn who quickly nodded. "Thank you." The waitress turned around keeping her eyes on Finn for a little too long. As Rachel turned her ahead towards Finn, she blinked furiously trying to erase the image of that from her memory.

But all the bitterness faded away when she saw him. He was smiling and it was contagious. A smile broke out across her face. "Hey." That was all he said and she felt her heart falter. "Hi." When she said that she swallowed thickly, feeling her throat getting dry. "This is really awkward, isn't it?" he asked. She nodded still smiling. He couldn't help but notice the adorable way her nose scrunched up. "I didn't expect it to be like this." He added unsure of what to say. She opened her mouth and closed it a couple of times unsure of what to say. She finally cleared her throat, making sure it was OK to speak. "How have things been... since I left?" He sighed, instantly grateful that she started the conversation. He talked and talked about how his mother ended up marrying Kurt's father, a long-time friend of Rachel as well. He talked about how he was quarterback in high school and how he won Prom King alongside Quinn, who Rachel was a distant friend of.

He spoke of how he wanted to join the Glee club knowing that she would've loved it. He hesitantly admitted that he didn't join because it would've reminded him too much of her. He was satisfied when she wasn't mad but instead saw the blush spread across her cheeks; something he missed so much. After he was finished, and he gestured towards her that it was her turn to share, she did. She told him about joining the show choir, which hadn't surprised him, she told him about not getting excepted into Julliard and how it killed her. She did, however, get accepted into NYU and she told him about the one time she had gotten drunk in college and had never ever gotten drunk again. He promised her to change that soon which quickly brought back the blush across her face. Although both of them were friends, neither talked about relationships. She didn't want to know if he had a wife, or if he was still a virgin, but she was curious. She didn't want to bring it up and was unsure of how to do so without seeming pushy or nosy. She was talking and gesturing with her hands when he saw it. She seem oblivious to the fact that he was staring at it.

What was he expecting? He knew she had to move on eventually. Scratch that. They were never together so she hadn't even moved on. She was just continuing her life. It was natural. He hadn't even noticed she stopped talking. His heartbeat was beating too loud in his ears for him to notice anything. He was sure she could hear it. "Finn?" she asked with a worried expression on her face. She was worried, he looked hurt and she wasn't sure why. Surely she hadn't said anything to upset him. She was very careful about what she said. She was staring at him waiting for him to show some kind of sign that he was alive. "Finn, are you okay?" And that's when she saw it. She followed his gaze and her breath caught in her throat. She wasn't expecting him to find out on his own. She wanted to tell him. "Finn?" She asked barely higher than a whisper.

"Rach, is that what I think it is?"

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><p>Cliffhanger :D<p>

What do you think Finn saw? What is Rachel hiding? Does anyone have any ideas?

Keep reviewing, honest opinions please :D


	3. Chapter 3

This one's even longer than the first two. I kind of got carried away when writing it.

Thanks you to everyone who has already reviewed :)

_*Disclaimer* _I do not own Glee or any of the characters.

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><p>"Finn?" She asked barely higher than a whisper. "Rach, is that what I think it is?"<p>

"I...uh... it depends on what you think it is..." Rachel replied trying to sound nonchalant about it. It wasn't working because his expression hadn't changed since he saw it. She didn't understand why he was acting like this. Sure, they have had their moments, but she never looked into it. He had never made a move, even though she had practically thrown herself on him. Sure they were young and he probably didn't know how to reciprocate feelings as strong as hers; but that didn't make it alright. She remembers crying herself to sleep a couple of times because he wasn't showing any interest in her. Then there were other times when he had tried to make a move but they hadn't come out right. She was brought back to modern times when Finn put his hand over her left on, which was shaking ever so slightly. "Rachel, you know you can tell me anything, right?" She nodded and began to speak. "I guess I should start from the beginning"...

_She pulled her books close to her chest, trying not to attract attention on herself. She was the new girl of course. An outsider. She tried to steady her breathing, and blinked hard trying to keep the tears from spilling. She couldn't control the knot in her throat and her vision was becoming blurry due to her tears. She was thinking about the kiss. She couldn't remove the feel of Finn's lips against hers. It had been two weeks since the kiss and one week since she moved. She kept trying to forget, she even tried to scrub the feeling off while in the shower. She didn't want a reminder of him. It wasn't that she didn't like it, that couldn't be farther from the truth. She loved the feeling, she wanted so much more, but it was wrong to hold feelings for someone who probably didn't and would never feel the same way. She was so concentrated on the feeling on her lips that she hadn't seen the boy walking right in front of her. As fate would have it, she walked straight into him and her books flew everywhere. She bent down to pick them up but was too late. A pair of strong hands had beaten her to the punch and was holding them in front of her._

_She didn't take them away right away because she was staring... okay more like gaping at the boy in front of her. She wasn't even sure if she could call him a boy. He was wearing dark faded jeans and a tight navy t-shirt with the school's logo on it. She stared at his shirt for a little too long because it perfectly fit his body, hugging his biceps perfectly. She quickly realized what she was doing and quickly raised her head to meet the hazel eyes of the young man who was handing her her books. She grabbed them quickly, giving him a small smile hiding the evident blush on her cheeks. She looked back up to see that he was still there, giving her the a small smile as well. She was aware that he was expecting something but was unsure it was safe to talk. "Thank you." She said in a small voice walking around him towards her first class. This was already stranger than necessary and she wasn't going to add on to the strangeness. Before entering the class, however, she turned her head to her right to find the same pair of hazel eyes staring at her intensely. She smiled again and walked into her class. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all._

_Her thoughts had changed dramatically that night. She was sure she could get on her school life just fine without him. She was an independent, powerful woman and could do anything. That was what she kept telling herself, all night. She couldn't erase the feel of his lips. She hadn't thought about it all day, because she was thinking about a pair of hazel when she opened the door to her New York home, it her like tsunami. She felt his lips. It was worse now. She wasn't just feeling his lips. She was feeling his hands. She was craving his touch. She needed to see him and it was killing her so much. Why was this so hard? Every time she was close to falling asleep, she felt him whispering in her ear. Or when she felt a breeze come in through her window, she remembered the way his body felt pressed against her on her bed in the cold of the winter. Anything and everything she did brought up a memory of him. That was when she first realized it. No matter how hard he tried, she couldn't get him out of her mind. No matter what she did, no matter where she was, he was always there. He was always there... because she was in love with him._

While she was telling her story, Finn couldn't help but be mesmerized by the way she moved her hands to explain. He was also well aware of the blush that had spread to her cheeks when she spoke of remembering their first kiss. He had to admit, he also noticed the blush on her cheeks when she spoke of this stranger who seemed to take a liking to her. Jealousy had sprung into him almost as quickly as it left. When she spoke of how hard it was forgetting him, he felt another emotion quickly overcome it. He couldn't help the way his breath caught in his throat, and the way his mouth dried. He started paying closer attention to what she was saying and noticed that she had to swallow more times than normal. But that only made him notice the way she had to keep licking her lips because of how quickly they dried. He had to work even harder to listen to what she was saying after that. Then she said it, and the world stopped spinning. She said she loved him. But the happiness in him was quickly replaced by hurt when he realized she had said. She _loved _him, lov_ed_. As in past tense, as in no more. He just sat there and motioned for her to continue not wanting for her to notice the way he was breaking. He knew he had to stay strong though, because even though he wasn't with her romantically, he had to be there for her. It was a promise he made long ago and was intending to keep.

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><p>I didn't really say what he had saw but everyone guessed right. Rachel got engaged.<p>

But for what reasons? And who is the mysterious fiance? What will Finn think of the guy, if they ever meet?

Sorry that I'm dragging out this meeting, but they haven't seen each other in 7 years :)

Keep reviewing guys and thanks for reading :D


	4. Chapter 4

Hi guys. Sorry for taking an extremely long break from the story.

Thank you to all those people who actually read this story.

Sorry, each chapter seems to be longer than the last. But anyways, enjoy :D

**Note:** The cafe scene ends in this chapter, so yes we will get to see Finn and Rachel in other environments in future chapters.

_*Disclaimer*_ I do not own Glee or any of the characters.

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><p>He knew he had to stay strong though, because even though he wasn't with her romantically, he had to be there for her. It was a promise he made long ago and was intending to keep.<p>

"Finn? Are you there?" her voice immediately dragging him out of his mental monologue. "Yeah. Continue." He gave her half a smile to try and hide what he was really feeling. She gave him a huge smile and continued with her story.

_It had been 3 weeks since school started and she was starting to get into the normal routine of her classes. She had even been invited to a couple of back-to-school parties. She declined, politely of course, always giving a different excuse. She wasn't ready for this. The whole high school experience was going to be terrible. It was the end of the day and she was pulling some books out of her locker when someone positioned themselves on the locker next to hers. She knew who it was without even looking. It was him. The boy from the first day. Shortly after entering the classroom after their 'meeting' she was pulled into a seat next to a Latina girl who was staring at her with huge eyes. "Hi. My name is Santana Lopez. Your name is...?" "Uh... my name is... Rachel. Rachel Berry." "Welcome Rachel. Now, do you know who that was that you just bumped into?" "Um.. no?" Rachel was clueless. She was staring at Santana with a confused look. "That's Daniel Johnson. He's a sophomore and the captain of the basketball team. He led our team to victory last year even though he was a freshman. Girls are literally throwing themselves at him and you bump into him and completely ignore him. By the way he was looking at you, I'm pretty sure he's going to begin stalking you." She had an evil smirk on her face that was making Rachel uncomfortable, but because this was the first person to actually talk to Rachel, Rachel gave her a genuine smile._

_One day, near the end of November, Santana was talking to her about the Winter Dance and what she was going to wear. Rachel was trying really hard to listen but her mind kept going back to a pair of light brown eyes. Rachel hadn't even noticed Santana had stopped talking until she felt a hand on her arm pulling her back. She quickly looked up to see Santana staring straight ahead. Rachel followed Santana's line of sight and saw what she was looking at. There he was by her locker... again. Rachel was getting annoyed. Santana was kinda right when she said he was going to start stalking her. Daniel had asked Rachel out on numerous occasions to various different places and Rachel had always declined with an excuse. *Why does he keep coming back? How many times do I have to say no.* Rachel could not understand this kid. Rachel looked back at Santana and received a sympathetic smile and a good bye wave. She took a deep breath and proceeded to her locker. After dumping her textbooks in her locker, she reluctantly turned to look at Daniel. "To what do I owe this pleasure, Daniel?" She was trying really hard not to let her annoyance show in her voice, but was failing miserably. "Look, I know you've already said no to me a couple of times, 17 times to be exact." Rachel looked down to hide her smile at that. "But would you please just go out with me on one date, one measly date. If you don't like it, then I'll take you straight home. But please, just give it a try." She looked up to see a hopeful smile and did the one thing she was avoiding doing, looked into his eyes. Those eyes had a way of hypnotizing her. "O-okay." She was surprised at how nervous she sounded and even more surprised at Daniel's reaction. He jumped up in the air and said, more like shouted, "YES!" He started doing a happy dance and after noticing that people were starting to stare, she put a hand on his shoulder to try to calm him down. She couldn't hide the smile on her face. "I'll pick you up at 7?" She nodded and continued in the way she was walking._

She stared at the ring on her finger being brought back to the present when the waitress finally came with their order. She looked up at him and gave him a heart warming smile. "Needless to say, the date went great. So, 6 years, 3 months, 2 break ups, and various pointless fights later, he proposed and my answer is obvious." She was smiling so big her cheeks were starting to hurt. He didn't want to believe it. She looked so happy. That's what he wanted, right? Just to see her happy? Of course. He had to keep reminding himself that. "So enough of my boring personal life, let's move on to yours. You have a girlfriend, a wife, a beneficial friend?" She looked at him with a devilish smirk and he couldn't help but chuckle at her last assumption. "Actually, I just got out of the longest relationship of my life. You want to know how long it lasted?" She nodded eagerly, urging him to go on. "Two whole months." He said with a proud smile. She burst out giggling, he could not be serious. "Har, har. Nice to know you think it's funny." He said mocking hurt. "C'mon Finn. Two months. That's the longest relationship you've had. What about with Quinn?" She honestly did want to know his answer, even if it was going to feel like a stab to the chest. "Me and Quinn were always expected to be together, you know? The quarterback with the cheer leading captain. It felt so... I don't know, planned out. I don't want to go out with someone because I _have _to, I want to go out with someone because I actually _want _to." His face expression was soft. She couldn't help but smile. "Now that's the Finn I know." He couldn't help but return her infectious smile. She looked away from the smolder of his eyes when she caught sight of the clock. "Oh shoot. Is that the time?" Finn looked at the clock and then at his watch. "Yeah, why? Have another date to get to?" He asked with a mischievous look in his eye, but secretly hoping she'd say no. "Actually, I'm meeting up with Santana today. We have this sort of girls-night-out thing every Friday. She says it's the only keeping us from turning into workaholics." She shrugged and started getting up from her chair. "Thank you so much for actually coming today Finn. Here's my number." She said giving him a card with her name on it. "We should definitely hang out again. Soon, like really soon." She said chuckling. "Yeah, definitely.""Goodbye, Finn." She said pulling him into a hug and reluctantly letting go. "Goodbye, Rach." He said as she exited the cafe.

After quickly paying the bill and avoiding eye contact with the waitress, he got in his car and banged his head on the steering wheel. After a while, he made his way home... alone... as usual. This was not how he'd imagined the reunion was going to go.

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><p>Thank you for reading. Please review.<p>

I love hearing everyone's opinions, it helps make the next chapter better.

So yeah, bye :D


	5. Chapter 5

I'm so sorry guys for the hiatus. I really am.

I'm not even going to give an excuse, I'm going to admit that I'm just really lazy :P

I'm not going to promise to not do it again, but I hope this helps :D Enjoy guys.

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><p><em>This was not how he'd imagined the reunion was going to go.<em>

When Rachel called the next morning and asked if he wanted to meet up for lunch, Finn couldn't have been any more ecstatic. He literally started dancing - well, what he called dancing - after their conversation. He was looking forward to lunch the whole, which is not really something new. He was jumping in his seat all day and despite all the glares he was getting from his co-workers, Finn's day was going pretty great. On his way to work today, he found $20 on the sidewalk. The bus he took for work arrived as soon as he approached the bus stop, so he didn't have to wait for a ridiculously long time. Though he really didn't want it, the cashier from the cafe downstairs where he gets his usual morning coffee had given him her number. The phrase, _Oh yeah, I'm the man!_, may have flashed through his head more than once.

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><p>She woke up that morning with an extra kick in her step. Sure she gave her fiance the excuse that it was the just looking forward to the week, but she knew why. After her reunion with Finn, she felt whole again. She wasn't gonna deny that she still felt attracted to him after all these years. He almost sent her back into the depressing mode she was in before she met Daniel. And those 7 years did him good because to be honest, he was HOT! She couldn't get him off of her mind. Though she spent most of the night tossing and turning - because she felt guilty that she was thinking about another man when she was sleeping right next to her fiance - she was up really happy in the morning. After talking with Daniel, which felt more like asking permission, she had called up Finn for lunch. Her birthday was on Friday and she would love it if Finn could be there. There was also another reason she wanted Finn there. She was hoping that if she saw Finn and Daniel in the same place at the same time she would focus completely on Daniel, her <em>fiance. This lunch is going to be a good thing... I think. <em>

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><p>He glanced at the clock for what seemed like the hundredth time today and saw that it was time for his lunch break. He quickly got up and started on his way out. When he got to the small restaurant they were meeting at he stopped. There she was. He began making his way to the table she was sitting at. After seeing him, she flashed him one of those heart-breaking smiles. He was trying to ignore the way his heart was thumping in his chest. <em>It's just Rachel. Just Rachel. Beautiful... funny... smart... awesome.. NO! Snap out of it dude. It's Rachel! <em>When he reached the table, she got up to hug him. "Hi" she said. He wasn't so quick to respond. He waited until they were sitting down to reply. How was it that one word already had him swooning. _Way to keep it cool Hudson._ "Hey" he replied and he was surprised by how his voice had sounded. He cleared his throat and tried that again, "Hey. How are you?". She couldn't help but giggle at how nervous he seemed. "I'm great. How are you? You seem a little... jittery." she replied trying - and failing miserably - not to smile.

"I-I'm fine. Great. I was actually wondering why you wanted to meet up for lunch." She looked down sheepishly, "Does there have to be a reason for a us to have lunch?". She brought her head back up to see him arching his right eyebrow. "Fine. As you may know, my birthday is coming up in a couple of days, I was wondering if you would like to come with me, us, to one of our favorite clubs. I finally turn twenty-one." She says proudly. But after he hesitates to answer, her smile falters a little. "You don't have to go if you don't want to. I mean it's just gonna be Daniel, Santana, a couple of our other friends and I. I'd totally understand if you didn't want to come. I know you don't know anyone there, it's just it's my birthday and I thought-". She stopped talking when she saw he was staring at her with a smile on his face. _God, she's so cute when she rambles. Maybe I should stop her. Oh wait, she noticed my staring. _"So...?" She asked anticipating his answer. "No..." He saw her face fall and saw her lips into an adorable pout. "Wait, let me finish. No, I probably won't know anyone there. But I know you... and I wouldn't miss your birthday for anything." He saw her face light up automatically and he wondered why it affected her so much whether or not he was going to the party. "Thank you sooooo much Finn! This is gonna be so much fun! You'll see." He couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. She was literally bouncing in her seat. "Okay, so meet me at my this address on Friday. That's the address to my apartment, we're all going as a group. If you would rather meet us there, that's okay too.", she said looking at him with a hopeful expression.

"Of course I'll meet you at your place. It'll give me a chance to meet everyone before we go to the club." She smiled even brighter at that - he wondered how that was even possible. "Great. So I'll see you Friday?" She asked picking up her coat and purse. "Of course, see you Friday." They hugged before going they're separate ways.

He now had something to look forward to. He was definitely going to have to call Kurt to help him with what to wear. _What? It's totally okay to call your brother when you're trying to impress a girl, right?_ _Friday's going to be a great night._

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><p>Thanks for those who read :-)<p>

Reviews aren't necessary, but they are appreciated :D

Thanks for those who have reviewed :-)


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